Teeth
by AnonRyder23
Summary: and perhaps she's not just a stray dog; perhaps she's just the companion the Winchester's need.
1. Chapter 1

_full summary_

 _The Winchester brothers stumble upon a stray dog in a hunt, who, coincidentally, saves them from a demon in Fort Wayne, Indiana._

 _As thanks, Sam lets her tag along with them on their hunts and their journey to find their father. As luck would have it, she becomes a decent "guard dog"._

 _And along the way, she becomes not just a stray dog they stumbled upon, she becomes just the companion the Winchester brothers need._

* * *

 **Starts season one, just before episode Skin. This idea's been floating around my head for awhile now and I've finally decided to write it up and put it out there.**

 **Reviews are most welcome! Thanks and enjoy!**

 **Chapter One:**

It was dark, stars lighting up the sky. The air was cool, but the night sky was clear of any clouds.

There was a dirty looking, homeless dog trotting down the side of the road. Barely anyone was driving down the road and no one even noticed the stray. Perhaps no one was even missing her, she hoped however that someone was.

As she jogged passed a house, there was an unsettling feeling in her stomach. She stopped, perked up her large German Shepherd ears and turned towards the house.

There was a brief scream, a yell and then the door swung open and a man ran out. She noticed he was tall, but nothing over average and he had a shaved head and a slender face. His eyes went one full color, presumably black, before rerunning to regular irises.

He sprinted passed her and to the other side of the street when two other men raced out of the house, shotguns in hand. The taller one had longer hair and almost boyish features, but it was hardened by his angry expression. The other had shorter hair and a chiseled-like face; however both looked young despite their frustrated features.

The one they were chasing stopped at the side of the road and turned to the two, ready for a fight. The two raised their guns but the man - demon - ran forward in attack.

He was able to gain the upper hand quite quickly and disarmed both men. He grabbed the shorter one's throat while the other was groaning on the ground, trying to get to his feet.

The dog's ears flattened against her skull and she growled before running forward. She jumped and clamped her jaws down on the demon's forearm, which made him release his grip on the man.

The demon tried to shake the dog off but she seemed to bite harder. When he finally got the dog off, he opened his mouth wide and a stream of black smoke erupted from within him. The man, now free of the demon, fell to the ground, unconscious.

Both men got to their feet and looked at the dog. The dog's ears raised as she looked at them before she sat and watched them, curious.

Sam, the taller one, stepped forward but his brother grabbed his arm.

"It's just a _dog_ , Dean." said Sam calmly.

Dean shook his head and practically shouted, "It probably has rabies, Sam! That shit's like Cujo, don't touch it!"

Sam rolled his eyes and kneeled down to get eye level with the dog. He smiled, reaching out and scratching the dog's head. "Hey, buddy."

The dog leaned into his touch and let out a sigh. No one had given her any contact in what had to be months.

Dean raised his eyebrows at the dirty German Shepherd, watching it go from vicious to gentle in a matter of seconds.

Sam reached for the red collar around its neck and searched for a dog tag while using his other hand to scratch its neck. When he felt the cool metal of a tag, he pulled it slightly so he could read it.

"It just says Riley, there's no numbers to call or an address. _Nothing_ , just her name." Sam told Dean, looking up at him.

"That's great, _really_." said Dean sarcastically. "Now leave it alone before it attacks one of us."

Sam frowned, standing up. "I think she was just protecting us. Must've been a guard dog or something."

"Look how dirty it is," Dean said, gesturing to the tan coat that was darkened slightly by mud. "And it probably has _fleas_."

Riley cocked her head to the side, looking up at him. She looked insulted, if a dog could feel such a thing.

"I say we let her tag along. What harm could she bring?" Sam wondered with a shrug. "Besides, if we bring her to a pound, she'll probably be put down. And if we just leave her, she'll starve; look at her now, you can see her ribs."

"Harm? Oh, I dunno, she could attack us, give us fleas. Dirty up my baby." Dean grumbled the last part.

"Come on, Dean. She helped us-"

"She helped the demon get away." mumbled Dean with a frown.

Sam sighed, "If she hadn't attacked, we could've-"

"We've had worse."

"Oh, come on." Sam complained.

"Fine." Dean groaned. "But you're taking care of it."

Dean turned, grabbed his gun from the ground and started towards the Impala, which was parked just down the street. He had noticed that the man was waking up and figured to just leave him be. He was too tired to do anything.

Meanwhile, Sam smiled down at the dog, who returned his gaze. "Come on, Riley."

Riley followed after Sam as he walked towards the Impala. Sam was surprised, briefly, at how trained she was and he figured she'd been a type of working dog or just trained well; but then again, what person - who cared enough to train her - would abandon her? Or give her tags with just her name?

Sam frowned sadly down at the dog who was walking next to him. She was dirty and hungry, so obviously she had been on her own for awhile and Sam could only hope she's warm up to him after all her time alone.

At the Impala, Dean was putting his shotgun in the trunk compartment and was making his way to the driver's seat. He watched Sam and Riley approach.

Just as Sam opened the back door to let Riley in, Dean spoke up, "Woah, woah, _woah_. You put a something down or you both walk."

Sam sighed, knowing they didn't exactly have any type of blanket on them to put down at the moment. Sam took off his jacket and laid it down on the back seat and patted the seat to signal for Riley to jump in. She did and immediately laid down on his jacket and put her head down.

Her brown eyes watched Sam, with no hint of aggression but surprisingly, a glint of intelligence and knowing.

Smiling, Sam closed the door and got in the passenger side. He knew he have to wash his jacket but he didn't really mind. He was going to wash Riley when they got back to the motel anyways, hoping Dean would ease up on his attitude towards her.

* * *

Back at their cheap motel, Sam snuck Riley into their room, not entirely knowing if dogs were allowed or not.

Upon entering, Dean collapsed on one of the double beds and passed out. Sam let Riley in and then ran an errand to the next door, all-night shop. He bought a small bottle of dog shampoo, which he was surprised he'd found, a brush and decent, store-brand dog food. He bought two bowls too, all on a stolen credit card which made him feel a bit guilty.

But if he was going to keep Riley, he was going to need to take care of her; and wash her, if Dean was ever going to warm up to her.

Back at the motel room, Sam filled up the bathtub with warm water and let Riley jump in. He removed her collar and set it on the toilet seat, where a towel also laid.

He used a cup he had gotten earlier that once held coffee and wet her coat before using the shampoo and washing her. Riley seemed to enjoy it, which was a relief - Sam was partly worried she'd hate it and try to escape.

Perhaps Sam wanted the dog so bad because it was a sliver of normalcy - normal people had dogs, not hunters. Plus, she seemed like a good guard dog, which didn't really have a bad side and she, like most dogs, were good companions; man's best friend.

Once she was washed, Sam dried her with the towel, drained the water from the tub and cleaned up her collar. He also brushed her, since he knew medium-haired dogs needed to be brushed, not often but frequently.

Sam gave her some water before going to bed. Riley drank all of her water before laying down at the foot of Sam's bed and going to sleep.

In the early morning, while Dean was still asleep and Riley was watching him lazily, Sam did a bit of research of German Shepherds; finding that he'd need to take her to a vet, which was unfortunate but necessary if he was to guarantee her a safe "home" and healthy life with him.

If he ever returned to California to finish college, maybe then it'd be easier. But for right now, he was just going to have to deal with it.

Sam also read about what food would be good, that she'd need adequate training and playtime to burn up stored energy. So when Sam went out to get coffee and breakfast, he called to make an appointment at a vet for Riley and bought a bone, a chew toy, a leash (which he doubted he'd need), and a frisbee.

When he returned, Riley was by the door and wagging her tail, practically jumping up at him in welcome.

"Easy." Sam chuckled, setting his things on the small table in the motel room.

Dean emerged from the bathroom, hair still wet and he smiled. "Finally, I was starving."

Sam rolled his eyes and fed a cup of food to Riley. She ate gratefully and Sam started eating his own breakfast. His now clean jacket was resting on his bed, one of the first things he did that morning.

"I see you cleaned the dog." said Dean, with a mouthful of a bacon and egg breakfast sandwich.

She glanced up at him, almost insulted again, before returning to her breakfast.

Sam frowned, "She has a name, Dean."

"It's a dog!" Dean swallowed.

Sam rolled his eyes, picked up a sausage (something he requested strictly for her) from his plate and looked down at Riley, who had finished her breakfast. "Hey, Riley."

She looked up at Sam, noticed the sausage and sat down, tail wagging. Sam smiled and fed it to her. She took it and chewed it quickly, swallowing thankfully before laying down.

"I scheduled an appointment for her in an hour-"

"Ugh, I can't believe you're actually keeping that thing." Dean sighed.

"She's friendly and so far, I like having her around." Sam told Dean.

Dean sighed, "Right, well, we leave as soon as you're done."

"Fine with me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to those who followed/reviewed!**

 **BrySt1: Thanks so much! I hope to finish this, so don't worry!**

 **FiammaBee: Thank you! I love dogs too and my dog sort of inspired this story. I thought the boys should have one too.**

 **Chapter Two:**

At Riley's vet appointment, the vet, Dr. Owens, gave her heart worm medicine and clipped her nails - which Riley didn't mind. Dr. Owens gave her a physical and when it was done, she smiled.

"Riley's in full health, Mr. Palmer. With a little more TLC and food every day she'll be back to normal in no time." said Dr. Owens, believing the story Sam had told her about adopting her from a shelter.

Sam smiled, "Thank you. Do you happen to know her age?"

Dr. Owens pursed her lips, "I'd guess around two or three."

Sam nodded, "All right, thank you."

They left and headed back to the motel, where Sam noticed the Impala was all packed up. Sam opened the door and let Riley in the back seat, where she quickly laid down. Sam alerted Dean that they were back and ready to go and soon they were back on the road.

* * *

In the backseat of the Impala, Riley watched the world fly by - a mix of trees and cars all meshed together in a blur. The purr of the Impala's engine was comforting and almost lulling, and the rock music didn't affect her nor bother her much.

Riley noticed the Impala slowing down and then pulling into a gas station. Riley looked at her surroundings: the people, the cars.

Her ears flicked forward in attention - she knew bad things were out there, practically lurking around every corner. Now, nothing bad was actually at the gas station, but Riley knew there was always that chance.

Dean put the car into park and turned off the engine. "All right, figure we hit Tucumcari by lunch then head south to Bisbee by midnight. . .Sam wears women's underwear."

Riley tilted her head to the side, before letting out a sound similar to a chuckle. She looked over at Sam, watching as he still didn't look up.

Sam, still staring at his phone, said, "I've been listening, I'm just busy."

"Busy doin' what?" Dean asked, opening the car door.

"Reading emails." answered Sam.

Dean closed the door, "Reading emails from who?"

"From my friends at Stanford."

Dean went to the gas pump, which was on Sam's side and Riley, now standing in the backseat, walked over to that side to watch him.

"You're kidding? You still keep in touch with your college buddies?"

"Why not?"

"Well," Dean paused, making his way from the back of the car to Sam's side. "what exactly do you tell 'em? You know, about where you been, what you've been doin'."

"I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother. I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess."

Riley cocked her head at the unfamiliar name. She'd heard them talk about their father, but never a Jess. She briefly wondered who she was and what happened.

"Oh, so you lie to 'em?"

"No. I just don't tell 'em. . .everything." Sam replied.

"Yeah, yeah. That's called lying." Dean told him. "Hey, I get it. Telling them the truth is far worse."

"So what am I supposed to do? Cut everyone out of my life?"

Dean shrugged.

"You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks but a job like this you can't get close to anyone, period." Dean said.

"You're kind'a antisocial, you know that?"

"Yeah, whatever. Walk your dog before we hit the road again, yeah?" Dean looked back at Sam and then at Riley, who was watching them.

Sam sighed but got out of the car. He opened the back door for Riley and let her out. Sam and Riley walked back behind the gas station. Riley walked back into the trees for a few moments before jogging out back to Sam.

"Next time we stop for food, I promise I'll throw the frisbee around for you." Sam smiled down at her.

She barked happily, almost smiling, before she trotted behind Sam back to the Impala. Riley got back in the backseat, Sam back in his seat, Dean finishing getting the gas when Sam's phone rang an alert of an email.

" _God_."

"What?" Dean wondered, leaning close to Sam's door to see what he was looking at.

"This email from this girl Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine."

"She hot?"

"I went to school with her," Sam said instead of answering Dean's question. "and her brother Zach. She says Zach's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case."

"Dude, what kind'a people were you hanging out with?"

"No, man, I knew Zach; he's no killer."

"Well, maybe you know Zach as well as he knows you."

"They're in St. Louis. We're going." Sam told him.

Dean almost laughed, "Look, sorry about your buddy, okay, but this doesn't sound like our kind'a problem."

"It is _our_ problem." Sam insisted. "They're my friends."

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam."

Sam gave Dean a look and Riley had the feeling they were turning around and heading to St. Louis, Missouri.

She was right.


	3. Chapter 3

**BrySt1: thank you! I'm glad you think so!**

 **Chapter Three:**

At Rebecca's house, or what Riley assumed was her house, the Impala stopped and was put into park. The brothers got out, leaving Riley in the backseat because Sam figured letting a dog walk around someone's house probably wasn't the best idea.

Riley watched the brothers walk up to the door and a woman open the door and greeted them. After Sam hugged her, she let them inside. The door closed and Riley rested her head on the door, since the window was down. She let out a long breath from her nose and waited.

* * *

On their way to the crime scene, Rebecca pet Riley. Rebecca was briefly surprised Sam had a dog, but Sam explained he'd found her and figured he'd take care of her.

After a minute, Riley had put her head on Rebecca's legs, feeling comfortable with the girl. Rebecca continued to stroke her head; and Riley was loving the attention after so long without any.

Dean, again, put a window down for Riley before getting out of the car.

"You sure this is okay?" Rebecca asked Dean.

"Yeah, I am an officer of the law." Dean lied smoothly.

Riley almost snorted, knowing it was a lie but she admitted he was good at it.

As they got closer, Riley watching them from the car, her ears flicked forward at the barking. She listened, trying to figure out a reason: a mailman, owners returning to the house, something.

She didn't see anything which unnerved her.

The barking turned almost into a growl and Riley figured she'd had enough of that kind of attitude towards Sam and Dean. She jumped out of the open car window and ran over to the gate where the dog was.

Riley started barking, growling almost. She could tell from the other dog's barking that it was angry and confused; something had happened here, something more on the supernatural side. Dogs, and cats, had a good sense of the supernatural, which usually made them good guard dogs.

Sam, taking notice to Riley's bark, ran back out of the house to see her barking at the dog. Dean followed him out while Rebecca stayed inside the house.

Sam grabbed Riley's collar and pulled her back. Riley, now on her two back legs, continued to bark.

"Told you that thing was like Cujo." said Dean, staring at Riley.

Sam gave Dean a look before pulling Riley back to the car. He opened the backseat door and let her in, and then put the window up partly so she couldn't get out this time.

"So the neighbor's dog went psycho around the time Zach's girlfriend was killed." Dean told Sam.

Sam looked at Riley, as if she was an example, "Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal."

"Yeah, maybe Fido saw somethin'."

"So, maybe, you think this is our kind of problem?"

"Oh, probably not." Dean shook his head.

Sam almost smiled. "We should get back inside."

Dean nodded and headed back to the house, while Sam leaned down to get eye level with Riley. She was looking at him sadly and let out a whine.

"You can't do that, Riley." Sam told her gently before his eyebrows pulled together. "Is something wrong?"

She wished she could tell him, that, yes, something was going on here. That dog saw something and it sure as hell wasn't Zach. Something was wrong and they needed to do something about it.

Riley whined again, before picking her head up and looking at the house. She barked once, trying to get Sam to understand.

Sam looked back at the house, back at the barking dog then at Riley.

"That dog did see something, didn't he?" Sam wondered.

Riley barked again, trying to say yes.

Sam smiled at her, scratched her head and ears, "Thanks, Riley." Then he turned back to the house.

Riley believed she had gotten her message across, now she just had to hope the brothers found the monster in time.

* * *

After seeing the tape and then returning to the motel, the brothers went to sleep. Riley eventually fell asleep at the foot of Sam's bed but was awoken around five when Sam woke her up.

He fed her, woke Dean up and they got coffee before heading back to the crime scene. Sam needed to get another look; he was missing something.

The brothers exited the car and Sam let Riley out. She walked to the front of the car and sat beside Dean.

"All right, so what're we doing here at five thirty in the morning?" asked Dean, sipping his coffee.

"I realized something." answered Sam. "The video tape shows the killer going in, but not coming out."

"So he came out the back door." Dean reasoned, taking another sip of his drink.

"Right." Same walked over towards the alleyway between the two houses, over near a wooden telephone pole. "So there should be a trail to follow; a trail the police would never pursue. Riley, come."

Riley, who had been watching curiously, sauntered over to Sam. When she reached him, she looked up at him and cocked her head to the side.

"'Cause they thought the killer never left. And they caught your friend Zach inside." Dean leaned against the Impala's hood. "Still don't know what we're doing here at five thirty in the morning."

Sam pointed to the red trash bin and Riley started sniffing it while Sam looked inside. Riley sniggered around it, but following her nose, she walked over to the wooden pole, nose still on the ground.

When a familiar scent caught her attention, she stopped, barked and sat down next to the telephone pole. Sam turned, glanced at Riley then the pole.

Sam leaned close and examined what he saw. "Blood." he said simply. "Somebody came this way."

"Maybe the trail ends, I don't see anything over here."

Sam looked up the pole and then the sound of sirens could be heard.

An ambulance rushed down the street between where Dean and Sam were. The three of them watching it go and Riley had the urge to chase after it. She fought against it and stayed at Sam's side.

The brothers glanced at each other.

* * *

It turned out to be another crime scene. The brothers, and Riley, had followed the ambulance to see what had happened.

They found a small, but growing crowd, police, caution tape, cop cars and the ambulance.

Confused, Dean asked a jogger what had happened, looking on at the scene.

"He tried to kill his wife. Tied her up and beat her."

"Really?" Sam asked, surprised.

"I used to see him go to work in the morning; he'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy."

They watched as the man got put into the back of a cop car, looking guilty - but more so that he couldn't stop what had happened then as if he had actually done it.

Sam was checking out the back of the house with Riley when Dean started walking to them.

"Hey!" Dean called their attention, approaching. "You know when I said this wasn't our kind'a problem? Definitely our kind'a problem."

"What you find out?" Sam asked.

"I was just talking to the patrolman who was first on the scene and he heard this guy, Alex's, story. Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked." Dean explained.

"So he was two places at once?"

"Exactly. Then he sees himself in the house and the police think he's a nut-job."

"Two sake doubles, attacking loved ones in the exact same way."

"Could be the same thing doing it too."

"Shapeshifter?" Sam suggested.

Dean shrugged.

"Something that can make itself look like anyone?"

"Every culture in the world has its shapeshifter lore." Dean said. "Legends of creatures who can transform themselves into animals,"

Riley, who had been watching them, put her head down in a guilty fashion, lucky the boys didn't notice her. She sighed before looking back up.

"or other men."

"Right. Skinwalkers, werewolves."

"Well, we've got two attacks within blocks of each other. I'm guess we have a shapeshifter prowlin' the neighborhood." Dean told him.

"Let me ask you this: in all of this shapeshifter lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asked, looking up at the wall.

"Not that I know of."

"I picked up a trail here, someone ran outta the back of this building and ran this way."

"Just like your friends house."

"Yeah and just like at Zach's place the trail suddenly ends."

Riley looked up at Sam, wondering why he thought it suddenly ended. The scent hadn't; then again, Sam did not have her sense of smell.

She nudged his hand with her nose, trying to get his attention. Sam, half annoyed, finally looked down at her, raising his eyebrows.

"What is it, Riley?"

She was half tempted to do nothing because of his attitude and send them on a wild goose chase, but knowing someone else's life was in danger she walked a few steps towards a manhole. Then she sat down next to it.

" _Huh_." Sam almost scratched the back of his head, wondering why he hadn't thought of 1) having Riley sniff it out or 2) that there had been a manhole at Zach's place too, so it made sense.

Dean nodded, not totally minding Riley now. "Well, that's another way to go. Down."


	4. Chapter 4

**My work schedule is a bit all over the place, so a set day for updates isn't certain, but I do promise at least one update a week.**

 **FIGHTTHEFAIRIES: something similar to a Skinwalker. But all will be revealed eventually!**

 **BrySt1: thanks and all will be explained soon!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four:**

After Sam and Dean went down into the sewers, Riley laid down just a bit away from it, hoping not to draw attention. There was no way they could get her down and out of there, so the brothers would be on their own.

Riley hoped for the best, but the fact was she could not protect them from where she was and that put her far on edge.

She was a creature basically 'made' to protect people from everyday scenarios to supernatural happenings. Sure, they were hunters and could handle themselves, but she still was worried.

* * *

The boys were back up in no time; headed back to the car to get supplies. Riley followed after them, catching the nasty scent from their shoes of sewer smell and what she could only assume was the shapeshifter.

Supernatural things usually had a weirder - or in this case, grosser - scent.

"One thing I learned from dad," started Dean, opening the Impala's trunk. "was that no matter what shapeshifter you're dealing with, there's one sure way to kill it."

"Silver bullet to the heart." said Sam.

Riley stirred uneasily. She wasn't invincible - or extremely hard to kill. Just about anything that would kill a normal dog - or human - would kill her too. Sure, she was a bit stronger, a bit faster; she healed a bit quicker and her skin was slightly harder to penetrate but a silver bullet - any bullet really - to her heart would surely kill her.

"That's right." Dean almost praised.

Sam's phone started ringing and he pulled it out of his jacket pocket to answer it.

"This is Sam." Sam paused, waiting for an answer. "We're near Zach's; we're just checking some things out." Another pause. "What're you talkin' 'bout?" Pause and a sigh. "Why would you do that?" Pause. "Bec-" Pause. "We're trying to help." Pause. "Bec, I'm sorry."

Sam put his phone away after she hung up. Riley knew it wasn't good by the look on Sam's face.

Dean shut the trunk and made his way over to Sam. Riley followed after him.

"Hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked. It's just - it'd be easier-"

"If I was like you." Sam finished for Dean.

"Hey, man, like it or not but we're not like other people. But I'll tell you one thing, this gig," Dean pulled a gun from his pocket. "it ain't without perks."

Sam smiled and took the gun.

They headed back down to the sewers where Riley could not follow. She waited, slightly distressed, at the manhole.

* * *

She paced. She tried playing with a stick. She did everything a normal dog would do to entertain itself, but found her human mind was not able to focus with the brothers in danger.

She started thinking of all the bad things as the time dragged on. Her ears would not pick up a thing; it was dangerously quiet and it made her uneasy. It was still too, barely anyone walking the streets.

Time dragged on and on as she waited by the Impala, impatiently waiting for the brothers return. They were taking too long and that was either a good thing or a really, really bad thing.

Riley began to fear the shapeshifter had caught them and was going to kill them and there was nothing she could do. She felt useless; she was a protector and she could do nothing from the streets.

Soon, however, they returned but Riley sensed something was off with Dean. His scent was weird, almost gross, but she tried to pass the uneasy feeling off as just the sewer smell.

Then again, Sam smelled just fine - a little smelly due to the sewer but relatively normal.

"You think he found another way underground?" Riley hear Sam ask as they approached.

Dean shrugged, gazing at Riley, almost uneasily, "Probably. Keys?"

"Hey, didn't dad once face a shapeshifter in San Antonio?"

"It was Austin. It turned out not to be a shapeshifter, it was a thought form; a psychic projection, remember?"

Sam faked remembering, "Oh, right. Here ya go."

Sam tossed the keys and Dean caught them with his left hand, which Sam immediately took notice to. Riley noticed his sudden alertness towards Dean and began to focus her attention on him.

Dean opened the trunk while Sam went to the drivers side. Riley stayed sitting at the back of the Impala, watching Dean intently, but discreetly. Dogs sometimes just stared at things or people.

When Dean opened the trunk, he looked over its contents and smiled.

Sam came around the passengers side, gun aimed at Dean, knowing Riley had the other side covered.

"Don't move!" Sam shouted. "What have you done with him?"

Dean raise his hands in alarm, "Dude, chill. It's me, all right?"

"No, I don't think so. Where's my brother?"

Riley ducked her head down and started growling, her ears flat against her skull and teeth exposed. This thing had Dean - alive, she assumed and hoped for - and it was a monster. She was intent on treating it like one.

'Dean' glanced back at Riley, half frightened, half cautious before looking back at Sam. "You're about to shoot him. And call that thing off. Both of you need to calm down."

Sam didn't move, "You caught those keys with your left, your shoulder was hurt."

'Dean' shrugged it off, "It's better. What do you want me to do? Cry?"

"You're not my brother."

'Dean' stepped forward, "Why don't you pull the trigger, then? 'Cause you're not sure. Dude, you know me."

" _Don't_." Sam said dangerously.

'Dean' whacked the gun out of Sam's hands and hit him in the head with a crowbar, knocking him out cold.

Riley jumped and bit 'Dean's' wrist and he cried out. He hit Riley in the side with the crowbar, forcing her to let go. 'Dean' then took off down the street and Riley chased behind him.

She nipped at his hands as they were running and 'Dean' cursed at her. He ran up to a fence and jumped over, and Riley could not follow. She jumped as high as she could but could not make it over; she scratched and barked until she realized the shapeshifter was long gone.

Riley cursed herself before running back to where the Impala was. Her side was hurting, but she ignored it.

Her stomach fell when she noticed that not only was the shifter nowhere in sight, but Sam was gone as well.

Riley let out a cry of worry.

* * *

Riley did not even know what to do. Both Sam and Dean were gone - somewhere down in the sewers she could not reach as a dog - and she had no one to turn to. She was all alone again and she hated it; but most of all she hated herself for letting it get to the boys, two people she swore to protect when they picked her up.

She figured to head over to Rebecca's but found no one in and no way to alert her. Sighing, she headed back to one of the manholes. She paced, her head down and the gears in her head turning.

Knowing that once she got down there, she would not be able to get back up, she figured she'd look for the Impala first. Where it was would be a lead to where the shifter was, wouldn't it?

Going down into the sewers, she decided, would be a last resort.

* * *

Riley jogged around the town, searching for the black muscle car. She checked around the manholes until she came back to Rebecca's house. That was where she found it.

Then she heard racing footfalls and she turned and saw Sam first. Dean, the real Dean, she saw second. She happily trotted over to them and jumped playfully and relieved, making a single yip.

"Nice to see you too, Riley." said Sam.

"Finally something went right tonight." Dean said, starting to walk to the Impala.

A police siren sounded just then, and Dean cursed and try tried to flee from where they had come from. Another police car was blocking that way too.

"This way, come on!" Dean gestured to a fence.

"You go, I'll hold 'me off."

"What're you talkin' about? They'll catch you!"

"They can't hold me," Sam looked around, "just go! And stay outta sight. I'll meet you back at Rebecca's."

Dean started climbing the fence.

"Dean! Stay outta the sewers alone. I mean it!"

Dean disappeared over the fence. "Yeah! Yeah!"

"Riley, go wait by the car!" Sam whispered, looking down at her quickly.

Riley hesitated, wanting to stay beside him but followed his order anyway. She stayed in the shadows, avoiding the police, who luckily did not spot her.

* * *

Dean eventually met up with Riley at the Impala and Dean scratched her head. They drove off and Dean hatched a plan. Or something like one.

"I'm sorry, Sam, but you know me," said Dean. "I just can't wait."

Dean, against Riley's whines and protests, headed down into the sewers to look for shifter. Riley stayed back at the Impala and hated that she found herself useless again.

But Dean returned, with a badly beaten Rebecca. Rebecca and Riley took to the back seat, where Riley rested her head on Rebecca's lap, hoping to call the girl down.

Although Riley was anxious to get to Sam, she still felt a need to help Rebecca relax and feel safe; a quality creatures like Riley were very good at.

Riley followed Dean into Rebecca's house, where the shifter, in Dean's skin, was beginning to strangle Sam.

She could help but growl.

"Hey!" Dean yelled, grabbing its attention.

There was a pause in the air before Dean shot the shifter twice in the chest, killing it. Rebecca rushed in then, looking surprised.

Riley rushed over to Sam and started licking his face and whining.

Dean walked over to the shifter, kneeled down and looked at it then at Sam and back to the shifter. Dean took his amulet from around the shifter's neck and put it in his pocket.

Riley and Rebecca helped Sam to his feet, and Riley felt relief flood through her because everyone was okay - they were alive and safe now and that's all she ever wanted.

* * *

Rebecca scratched Riley's neck and planted a kiss on her nose as a goodbye. Rebecca then bid a goodbye to Sam, all while Dean looked on from the Impala.

Dean let Riley in the back, smiling at her briefly and scratching her behind the ear before getting into the car himself.

Sam explained everything about how the cops were now blaming this "Dean Winchester" for the murders, but seeing he was "dead" they didn't really have to look for him. However, Riley knew they were going to have to be a bit more careful, one because of the cops and two because she couldn't bare to think of them getting into trouble.

But they were hunters, they naturally got into that. So protecting them became a little more dangerous but Riley did not mind, she was becoming quite fond of the brothers.


End file.
